switching to saltwater

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
joey020283;1132893; said:
Doesnt the live rock need stong lighting also, since its"live"??? if not, i might do a salttank too...lol
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canucksfan1;1133096; said:
so if i do FOWLR tank then i don't need any diff lighting???, what about filters and protein skimmers??? HOB protein skimmer ok???? and maybe a cannister filter
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Nope...live rock isn't demanding at all, with respect to LPS/SPS corals and such. I use a few twintube setups with power-glow, and actinic bulbs and with a kalkwasser drip and skimmer to reduce excess waste build up, you should be golden. You can even get mushrooms to grow under regular lighting as well...just a thought.
 
aquatic_wonders;1133120; said:
might be out of topic but why do some people use a wave maker for???...and a chiller??? when do you use this equipments for SW?
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Wave makers are used to simulate the natural movement of the ocean. They are great for filter feeders that are dependent on feeding on the particles that pass through their outreaching "arms".

A chiller is only needed if you want to do coldwater fish...like Girabaldi, Atlantic Lobsters...stuff that's in the cold ocean water.

If you plan on doing a basic FOWLR or FO saltwater tank...it's not that much different than fresh. There are a few different tool-of-the-trade, and high water quality is an absolute must, but it's not that hard if your willing to do the work and put in the time.
 
canucksfan1;1133464; said:
so all i really need is a protein skimmer, i have a filter (let me know what type of media to use), i have a powerhed, and i can use my lights, so i guess thats all i need besides liverock, and fish
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That's about all you'll need for a decent FOWLR tank for hardware. It may be a good idea to invest in a kalkwasser drip (you can make them yourself for a fraction of the cost), some good trace element supplies for coraline growth, and track those phosphates...they tend to be the source of a lot of FOWLR tank issues.

joey020283;1133670; said:
you'll also need live sand/crushed coral for a substrate i believe. i wonder if live rock it a must? why do they use it? for the bio-fitration i wonder?
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Yup...live sand would be best...but not necessary because the live rock will eventually seed the sand anyway. Live rock is fantastic for filtration. It is literally a living biological filter inside the tank and reduces a lot of the strain on the system because you're not dependent soley on power filter to remove waste.

Technically you could do a Fish Only tank (FO) and just use cleaned, bleached, base rock...you just have to supplement with more filtration/water changes to compensate for the loss of biological filtration from the live rock.
 
awsome good to know do u have a link to make a kalkwasser drip???
 
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